A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided in order to coordinate the control of the volume levels of both the playback sound and the ambient sound delivered to a user via headphones. In the context of a method for controlling sound reproduction from an electronic device, a control signal is received in response to user actuation of a single input. The method also receives both playback sound and ambient sound around the electronic device. In response to the control signal, the method controls volume levels of both the playback sound and the ambient sound provided to an output channel configuration of a headphone device.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for controlling sound reproduction from an electronic device comprising: receiving a control signal responsive to user actuation of a volume control input configured to operate in a predetermined range for increasing or decreasing a volume level of a playback sound from a source inside an electronic device, wherein the control signal is configured to operate in accordance with a first predetermined gain curve for the playback sound and wherein the first predetermined gain curve is provided for the predetermined range based on the volume level of the playback sound; determining an ambient sound around the electronic device as captured by one or more microphones, wherein the ambient sound is provided to an output channel of a headphone device and a volume level of the ambient sound from the output channel is controlled in response to the control signal based on the same volume control input in accordance with a second predetermined gain curve provided for the ambient sound in the predetermined range; and in response to the control signal, controlling, with a processor, volume levels of both the playback sound from the source and the ambient sound provided to the output channel in such a way that the control signal operates in subsections of the predetermined range, wherein the subsections are predetermined and selectable by the volume control input, and wherein the first predetermined gain curve and the second predetermined gain curve are different for the volume levels of the playback sound and the ambient sound, respectively.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein controlling the volume level of the playback sound and the volume level of the ambient sound comprises providing more gain to the ambient sound than to the playback sound in response to a first type of control signal and providing more gain to the playback sound than to the ambient sound in response to a second type of control signal.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining the ambient sound comprises processing the ambient sound for ambience level control, wherein the playback sound comprises left and right channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound comprises left and right channels of the ambient sound, and wherein the method further comprises, after processing the ambient sound for ambience level control and controlling the volume levels of both the playback sound and the ambient sound, mixing the left channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound and mixing the right channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound for delivery to left and right headphone channels, respectively.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein controlling the volume levels of the playback sound and the ambient sound comprises controlling the volume level of the ambient sound in accordance with the second predetermined gain curve as a function of the control signal.
5. A method according to claim 1 wherein in response to the control signal being a first control signal, a first predetermined difference is maintained between the volume levels of the playback sound and ambient sound, while in response to the control signal being a second control signal, different than the first control signal, a second predetermined difference, different than the first predetermined difference, is maintained between the volume levels of the playback sound and ambient sound.
6. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least: receive a control signal responsive to user actuation of a volume control input configured to operate in a predetermined range for increasing or decreasing a volume level of a playback sound from a source inside the apparatus, wherein the control signal is configured to operate in accordance with a first predetermined gain curve for the playback sound and wherein the first predetermined gain curve is provided for the predetermined range based on the volume level of the playback sound; determine an ambient sound around the apparatus as captured by one or more microphones, wherein the ambient sound is provided to an output channel of a headphone device and a volume level of the ambient sound from the output channel is controlled in response to the control signal based on the same volume control input in accordance with a second predetermined gain curve provided for the ambient sound in the predetermined range; and in response to the control signal, control volume levels of both the playback sound from the source and the ambient sound provided to the output channel in such a way that the control signal operates in subsections of the predetermined range, wherein the subsections are predetermined and selectable by the volume control input, and wherein the first predetermined gain curve and the second predetermined gain curve are different for the volume levels of the playback sound and the ambient sound, respectively.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to control the volume level of the playback sound and the volume level of the ambient sound by providing more gain to the ambient sound than to the playback sound in response to a first type of control signal and by providing more gain to the playback sound than to the ambient sound in response to a second type of control signal.
8. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to determine the ambient sound by processing the ambient sound for ambience level control, wherein the playback sound comprises left and right channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound comprises left and right channels of the ambient sound, and wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus, after processing the ambient sound for ambience level control and controlling the volume levels of both the playback sound and the ambient sound, to mix the left channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound and to mix the right channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound for delivery to left and right headphone channels, respectively.
9. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to control the volume levels of both the playback sound and the ambient sound by controlling the volume level of the ambient sound in accordance with the second predetermined gain curve as a function of the control signal.
10. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein in response to the control signal being a first control signal, a first predetermined difference is maintained between the volume levels of the playback sound and ambient sound, while in response to the control signal being a second control signal, different than the first control signal, a second predetermined difference, different than the first predetermined difference, is maintained between the volume levels of the playback sound and ambient sound.
11. A computer program product for controlling sound reproduction from an electronic device, wherein the computer program product comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored therein, the computer-readable program instructions configured, upon execution, to: receive a control signal responsive to user actuation of a volume control input configured to operate in a predetermined range for increasing or decreasing a volume level of a playback sound from a source inside the electronic device, wherein the control signal is configured to operate in accordance with a first predetermined gain curve for the playback sound and wherein the first predetermined gain curve is provided for the predetermined range based on the volume level of the playback sound; determine an ambient sound around the electronic device as captured by one or more microphones, wherein the ambient sound is provided to an output channel of a headphone device and a volume level of the ambient sound from the output channel is controlled in response to the control signal based on the same volume control input in accordance with a second predetermined gain curve provided for the ambient sound in the predetermined range; and in response to the control signal, control volume levels of both the playback sound from the source and the ambient sound provided to an output channel in such a way that the control signal operates in subsections of the predetermined range, wherein the subsections are predetermined and selectable by the volume control input, and wherein the first predetermined gain curve and the second predetermined gain curve are different for the volume levels of the playback sound and the ambient sound, respectively.
12. A computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the computer-readable program instructions configured to control the volume levels of the playback sound and the ambient sound comprise computer-readable program instructions configured to provide more gain to the ambient sound than to the playback sound in response to a first type of control signal and to provide more gain to the playback sound than to the ambient sound in response to a second type of control signal.
13. A computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the computer-readable program instructions configured to determine the ambient sound comprise computer-readable program instructions configured to process the ambient sound for ambience level control, wherein the playback sound comprises left and right channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound comprises left and right channels of the ambient sound, and wherein the computer-readable program instructions are further configured, after processing the ambient sound for ambience level control and controlling the volume levels of both the playback sound and the ambient sound, to mix the left channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound and mix the right channels of the playback sound and the ambient sound for delivery to left and right headphone channels, respectively.
14. A computer program product according to claim 11 wherein in response to the control signal being a first control signal, a first predetermined difference is maintained between the volume levels of the playback sound and ambient sound, while in response to the control signal being a second control signal, different than the first control signal, a second predetermined difference, different than the first predetermined difference, is maintained between the volume levels of the playback sound and ambient sound.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 26, 2014
December 4, 2018
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